Strike up the band with 4-Hers

With true 4-H spirit, Maria Zimmerman got an idea and then made it happen. Thanks to her efforts, 2007 fairgoers can move to the music of the new Huron County 4-H band.

Zimmerman, a Western Reserve senior in the Hartland New Horizons club, has played saxophone since fifth grade. When her family attended the Lorain County Fair last summer, they noticed a sign advertising a 4-H band.

After her older sister teased her about starting up a Huron County 4-H band, Zimmerman put more thought into the idea and ended up taking on the challenge of forming a band open to all 4-Hers across the county as a self-determined project.

She recruited veteran band director Shelli McGue to serve as director. "We started brainstorming about ideas," Zimmerman said, "Tee-shirt ideas, where to get information, types of music."

Zimmerman ended up deciding on traditional music for pep and marching bands and then went to work. She contacted band directors across the county. The new band members range from eighth graders through high school students playing alto and tenor sax, baritone, trombone, drums, flute, clarinets and trumpet.

Cori Margetiak, a flute player who graduated from Edison High, is another player excited for the chance to perform at the fair and show the public another aspect of 4-H. "It shows that there is more to 4-H than just showing animals or taking still projects," she said. This will be Margetiak's last year in 4-H so she is glad to get the chance to be part of the new group.

The band has been practicing once a week for much of the summer and has about 15 tunes prepared. Zimmerman said two of the band's favorites are "Cleveland Rocks" and "Fun, Fun, Fun."

Zimmerman found as she tried to figure out a performance schedule that getting 19 4-Hers with various other projects in one place at one time isn't easy, even at the fairgrounds. She has lined up seven performances at the county fair, but couldn't work out a time to play on Senior Citizen Day. "We wanted to play for the senior citizens, but everybody had their judging at those times," she said. "Calf judging, turkeys and chickens are on that day along with miscellaneous judging for other projects. We just couldn't work it into everyone's schedules."

The new band made its debut at the Norwalk Relay for Life fundraiser in July.